OKLAHOMA CITY — There is a misconception, common in NBA circles, that Spurs coach Gregg Popovich doesn’t care about earning a No. 1 playoff seed.

That isn’t accurate, exactly.

“No one would turn it down if given,” Popovich said. “You wouldn’t give it up if you had it.”

That ball is in Oklahoma City’s court now.

Russell Westrbook had 27 points, Kevin Durant scored 25 and old Spurs nemesis Derek Fisher emerged from the hibernation long enough to send the Thunder to a 100-88 victory Thursday at Chesapeake Energy Arena that puts them in the lead to claim the Western Conference’s top seed.

Fisher, who had totaled 13 points in his previous nine games, erupted for 17 — including four first-half 3-pointers — to help spark the OKC victory.

With it, the Thunder (55-20) pull within half a game of the Spurs (56-20) atop the West standings, but the deficit is only a matter of mathematics. Tied in the loss column, and likely owner of the tiebreaker, OKC controls its own destiny the rest of the way.

The Spurs and Thunder split the season series at two games apiece. If the teams end the season with identical records, the knot would be unraveled based on record against Western Conference teams.

After Thursday, the Spurs are 32-15 against the West. OKC is 35-13.

“It’s going to be a dogfight until the end,” said Tony Parker, who finished with two points in 25:27 and played two minutes in the fourth quarter before leaving with a shin injury. “Every game is going to count. We’re going to do our best to keep first place, but if we don’t finish first it’s not the end of the world, either.”

Despite trailing by as many as 20 points early, and by 14 in the fourth quarter, the Spurs clawed within five points with five minutes to play.

Kawhi Leonard had 24 points, 14 rebounds and six assists to help keep the Spurs in the game. Tim Duncan had 24 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks, while Gary Neal chipped in 14 points. The rest of the Spurs combined for 25.

Durant, who otherwise had a rather quiet night, gave OKC some breathing room and a nine-point lead with 3:14 left with a top-of-the-key 3-pointer.

“They’re a championship-caliber team,” Popovich said of the Thunder. “They’re capable of winning a championship.”

In the days leading up to Thursday’s clash, Popovich signaled his intention to fight for the top seed, reconfiguring his lineup and resting key players in two games prior to ensure maximum freshness for Thursday’s showdown with the Thunder.

Duncan sat out a loss at Memphis on Monday. Parker sat out a win over Orlando on Wednesday. Kawhi Leonard missed both games. Only one Spurs’ starter on Thursday (Green) had logged more than 17 minutes the night before.

It set up what amounted to, if not a last stand for the Spurs at Chesapeake Energy Arena, their last good chance at staving off the hard-charging Thunder.

OKC buried the Spurs’ best-laid plans with work early in quarters, opening them with runs of 11-4, 12-3, 12-2 and 8-0.

Fisher, a 38-year-old relic who had made 16 percent of his 3-point attempts in the previous 11 games, buried the first four he saw Thursday to set the tone for OKC..

He was the impetus behind a 23-5 spurt that pushed the Thunder ahead 41-21 barely four minutes into the second quarter. The Spurs never could dig all the way out.

OKC coach Scott Brooks refused to paint Thursday’s win as some kind of statement game, not with contests at Indiana and at home against streaking New York next on the docket.

“You want to win every game you play,” Brooks said. “It’s not a ‘win you’re on top of the world, lose you’re the worst team in the league’ type of game.”

The Spurs, meanwhile, returned to San Antonio with destiny not in their hands for the first time since before the All-Star break.

They still wouldn’t turn down the No. 1 seed if it was given to them. Now they have to wait and see if the Thunder oblige.